Bridesmaid Drop Outs? Here's How to Deal with a Suddenly Smaller Wedding Party

Choosing your bridesmaids is something that is usually done way before you are ever engaged. You may have spent a lot of time, before the "Will you marry me?" question was popped, deciding who you would want to stand by your side during your wedding planning adventure and of course, of the biggest day of your life. So when it finally comes time to ask these lovely ladies (or gentlemen!) to be your bridesmaids, you feel a sense of joy and excitement, hoping that each of them will say yes.

After your bridal party members have been chosen and you start your wedding planning, you may be quite surprised, shocked even, if any of your bridesmaids drop out of your wedding.

So what should you do if one, two, or even three of your bridesmaids get cold feet and take back their initial "I do?"

First, have a conversation with them to discover the root of the problem. Did all three of them drop out for the same reason? Is that reason centered on you and your pre-wedding behavior? Or did each of them drop out for different and personal reasons?

Once you know the reasoning, you can then decide how to tackle the situation. If they dropped out because you've started to transform into a bridezilla and your expectations for them have spun out of control, you can attempt to make adjustments and ask that they give you a second chance.

If they dropped out because of personal reasons, see if you can make having them in your bridal party still work. Let them know that they don't need to go to the pre-wedding events that they don't have time for or can't afford to attend. Do what you can to keep them engaged in your wedding. If none of that works, let them know that having them at your wedding will still be the greatest gift of all.